In January 2020, Jessica Shotwell gave her first lesson at the Athens Community Council on Aging. Just two months later, the COVID-19 pandemic brought about disruption and uncertainty, and Shotwell’s work became even more important. A fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in the College of Public Health, Shotwell describes herself as a people-person with a passion for …
Sarah Saint Hamilton, a clinical assistant professor in the Institute of Gerontology, was among the eight UGA faculty members selected by the Office of Service-Learning for participation in its yearlong Service-Learning Fellows program. This program provides an opportunity for faculty members from a broad range of disciplines to integrate academic service-learning into their professional practice. …
America’s oldest citizens say they’ve been through worse, but many older adults are feeling the stress of COVID-19 and prolonged social distancing measures, according to a new study from the University of Georgia. And most are using a wider range of communication tools to stay in touch. Study author Kerstin Emerson, a clinical associate professor …
Kim Wolf had plans to visit her grandma at a nursing home in Maryland. Then, the global pandemic hit. While COVID-19 has ground much of the world to a stop, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus has hit group home settings particularly hard, especially those with frail or infirmed residents. With her trip up …
Approximately 6 million people in the U.S. are living with Alzheimer’s and related dementias (ARD) or mild cognitive impairment, and that number is forecasted to reach 15 million by 2060. In Georgia where the prevalence of Alzheimer’s is high, it’s estimated that 80% of adults who have reported experiencing some type of cognitive loss aren’t …
As COVID-19 continues to spread among communities throughout the U.S., public health and government officials are urging people to stay home and limit interactions with others, a practice known as social distancing. Social distancing is critical for slowing the spread of coronavirus and making sure that more vulnerable groups of people, such as older adults …
Lisa Renzi-Hammond, an assistant professor in the College of Public Health, conducts research that seeks to change how our society understands and supports people living with age-related neurodegenerative diseases. Where did you earn degrees and what are your current responsibilities at UGA? I am a proud Triple Dawg. I earned my B.S. in psychology with …
Jenay Beer and fellow UGA faculty member Hitesh Handa have been selected as UGA’s inaugural Innovation Fellows for fall 2019. Throughout the semester, the pair will receive a crash course in technology commercialization and learn how they can shape their research programs to more effectively align with industry priorities and, ultimately, serve the public’s needs. …
Doctoral student Jessica Shotwell is passionate about public health and is researching ways to facilitate and improve health care systems and health communication platforms so people receive equitable and equal health care. Hometown: Winsted High school: Gilbert High School Current employment: UGA Experiential Professional Development (xPD) summer intern for The Office of Industry Collaborations. Doctoral …
Jenay Beer has been thinking about how people interact with robots since she was a kid. She grew up watching Star Wars, fascinated by the way R2D2 “beep-booped” his way through conversations with other characters, and The Jetsons, where Rosie wheeled about, frenetically managing the family’s futuristic home. Now, as an assistant professor and researcher at UGA’s Institute …